Bill would strengthen protections for victims of human trafficking, make use of drugs in commercial sex “coercion”

Using drugs or illegal substances to compel victims of human trafficking to perform commercial sex acts would be considered coercion, and new protections would be established for human trafficking victims, under bicameral legislation introduced on Thursday.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) introduced the Protecting Rights of Those Exploited by Coercive Trafficking (PROTECT) Act to strengthen existing human trafficking laws pertaining to the use of drugs and illegal substances.

“Living in the greatest country in the world, it’s an unfortunate reality that there are still basic human rights abuses, like human trafficking, that take place in our society,” Ratcliffe said. “We have an obligation to do everything in our power to address and correct these abuses — an obligation I took seriously as a federal prosecutor and do now as a lawmaker.”

Groups like the Fraternal Order of Police, National Sheriffs’ Association, Major County Sheriffs Association and the National District Attorneys Association have come out in support of the bill.

“Creating and preying on the addictions of children is just one of the many despicable tools traffickers use to control their victims,” Cornyn said. “The PROTECT Act would clarify that using drugs to force individuals into sex or labor trafficking demands a greater criminal penalty,” Cornyn said.